The CW’s Brad Schwartz Knows Not All His Content Swings Will Hit: ‘That Was Certainly by Design’
There’s a joke thrown around The CW offices: “We have more fans than viewers,” the network’s president of entertainment Brad Schwartz told TheWrap in a recent interview.
It’s a good line, one that alludes to the network’s dedicated fan bases that routinely make small-audience shows like “Nancy Drew” and “Gotham Knights” trend on Twitter. But it’s also a joke that nods to why the network is in the middle of such a massive transition following its 2022 acquisition by Nexstar. For Schwartz, The CW’s future is dependent on both retaining the passionate audience that’s been loyal to the brand over the past 20 years, and diversifying so it can compete with its network peers.
This fall, the network is expanding well past what audiences may think is the typical CW brand. The 2023-2024 season features everything from more mature dramas and a Tuesday night comedy block — something Schwartz was passionate about including — to the former HBO Max reality dating competition series “FBoy Island” and its midseason spin-off “FGirl Island.”
“Some of the things are going to work, and some of them are not,” Schwartz said. “The things that work, you’re going to double down and do 10 more of them. And the things that don’t, you’ll pivot around it. But that was certainly by design to try and bring in new audiences.”
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When designing this schedule, Schwartz kept in mind what other networks were doing.
“Not to say that we’re following that, because I hate to follow anything,” Schwartz said. “Let’s think of the type of content that a linear audience is still watching. Like CBS has eight shows that do 10 million viewers a week, right? There is still a very large, linear audience. It just happens to be a little older.”
Because of this massive reshuffling, The CW has been put into an enviable position. As the rest of network television struggles to broadcast new scripted content in the midst of the WGA strike, The CW is about to air a slate defined by new content with an emphasis on international acquisitions.
“We have a real advantage this fall because I think we’re going to have more scripted content on The CW than any other broadcast,” Schwartz added.
That’s partially true. Though The CW won’t air the most scripted series this fall — that distinction goes to CBS’ latest fall schedule with 16 entries — it will have the most new scripted series with seven premieres that are brand-new to the network. NBC and CBS, the only two competitors that come close, have announced three new scripted series each for the fall season. Their fall schedules may need adjusting should the strike continue. As for ABC, it will be completely relying on unscripted series, game shows and reruns. Fox has yet to release a schedule.
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Before he became president of entertainment last October, Schwartz was president of Pop Media Group. While he was in charge, Pop TV became the U.S. home for “Schitt’s Creek,” and the channel saved Netflix’s canceled “One Day at a Time.”
He has experience with co-productions, acquisitions and taking risks that pay off.
But nothing could have prepared him for The CW’s predicament, a network with a dedicated fandom that has struggled for years with both ratings and profitability. Not only has the network consistently been in last place when it comes to Nielsen ratings, but during Nexstar’s acquisition it was reported that the parent company assumed nearly $100 million of the network’s debt. Nexstar CFO Lee Ann Gliha has since said that the goal is to make The CW profitable by 2025.
That’s the challenge Schwartz is currently facing.
“There’s only five English-speaking broadcast networks. It’s a very unique asset,” Schwartz said. “When you look at our digital statistics, it just shines that we have a very small group of very passionate viewers. If we are going to grow this business and start competing with the NBCs and CBSs of the world, we need more people coming to us. So the young adult leadership position that we have, we need to hold on to that. It just can’t be all we do.”
Revamping the brand hasn’t come without costs. Since stepping into his new role, Schwartz has overseen a drastic overhaul of the network’s programming. In 2023 alone, “The Flash,” “Kung Fu,” “Nancy Drew,” “Riverdale, “Walker Independence,” “The Winchesters” and “Gotham Knights” have all either already ended, are expected to end or were canceled.
Though some of these moves were met by fan outrage, the network’s past system of handling its originals was no longer financially viable.
“We monetize ‘All American’ for 13 weeks at a time, and then it goes away. It goes to Netflix and our monetization of that content is over,” Schwartz said. “As we build for the future, not only do we have to be a little more efficient with what we’re paying for, we have to have all the rights so that we can build libraries.”
In contrast to an original series that’s licensed to a secondary streaming service, a show like “Sullivan’s Crossing” already has its production costs for Season 1 covered by CTV. Its library can also live on The CW for American audiences.
“And Canada is a great partner just because there’s not a lot of accents, which sometimes can turn people off depending on the type of story it is,” Schwartz added.
One obstacle was catering to this new audience without sacrificing The CW’s digital growth, an element Schwartz calls “a massive priority and a massive success.” The CW reported at the time of this interview with Schwartz that the network’s app is expected to cross 100 million downloads within the next month or two.
But the biggest challenge the network will ultimately face is one of marketing. Schwartz maintained that of the five major networks, The CW is the only one that’s “really a brand,” a reputation the channel has earned through its investment in shows like “Gossip Girl,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “Riverdale.”
So The CW has “very strategically” held its marketing dollars for fall, he said. The network also plans to use its loyal young-adult fan base to its advantage on social media.
“The CW has a direct relationship with over 100 million fans that engage with our brand across all social platforms,” Schwartz said. “We will be developing a content strategy that makes our new programming relevant to this audience and cross-promoting with stars and other show profiles where it makes sense.”
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This will involve highlighting stars that will be coming to the network, such as Lea Thompson, Nikki Glaser, Malcolm McDowell and Chad Michael Murray. The network will also spotlight “proven titles” like “Inside the NFL” and “FBoy Island,” as well as its returning hits like “Superman and Lois,” “Walker” and “All American.”
The CW also hasn’t fully drifted away from its roots. In addition to the previously announced renewals, “The Librarians: The Next Chapter” is set to premiere sometime during the 2024-2025 seasons. The network also has several shows in development “that can hold on to that young audience.”
“But just it’s going to be one of five content pillars instead of instead of the only one, and that’ll be tricky,” Schwartz said.
Those challenges aside, the network president is confident The CW can maintain its “contrarian brand” while also growing and becoming profitable. So far, the network has been experimenting with several different dealmaking models that include international co-financing, selling off international rights and co-creating series “from scratch” with international partners.
Only time will tell if this big shift by the network will pay off or will cost The CW its loyal fans. Regardless of the risk, Schwartz is confident this is the best move possible.
“We do need to look forward and not backwards. We need to figure out how to build a much larger brand, a much larger business and one that drives us to profitability and then grow from there,” Schwartz said. “But I’m very focused on making sure we still have a foot in that young adult world, for sure.”
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